Crikey, they kept that secret well. Doctor Who (BBC One) made its comeback with an excellent episode which included the debut of the Time Lord’s new companion – a full four months before we were expecting her. Such an early arrival would be bad manners in a dinner guest but was a welcome treat here. And no mean feat in these days of Twitter leaks.

The mysterious Oswin (played by Jenna-Louise Coleman) was widely predicted to join the cast during the Christmas special yet here she was, bold as brass, popping up as the lone survivor of a space shipwreck. A computer hacker in a red dress, she was enchanting in an elfin way – rather like a brunette, curvier, less annoying Fearne Cotton.

Oswin turned out to be obsessed with Bizet’s Carmen and soufflés (the latter evoling into a key plot point). She hinted that she was bisexual, then poked fun at Rory’s beaky nose and The Doctor’s Easter Island chin. She was flirty, fearless and fast-talking, then signed off until Christmas with “Remember me” and a spine-tingling look straight into the camera. It all augured well for her proper Tardis tenure in 2013 – not least to see how showrunner (“Whopremo” in geekspeak) Steven Moffat extracts her from the heartbreaking final twist. We learned that Oswin had been captured and “converted”. She was a Dalek in denial. Surely The Doctor will have to ingeniously reverse this process? He couldn’t have a Dalek companion, could he? He’d have to replace those stairs in the Tardis with ramps.

Written by Moffat, this idea-packed instalment flung us back into the Time Lord’s world at breakneck pace. The Doctor (Matt Smith) was summoned to Skaro, original planet of his pepperpot-shaped arch foe, and brought before the spectacular Parliament of the Daleks – much of it CGI but also including actual Daleks from over the show’s 49-year history. Many were rescued from props cupboards and memorabilia collectors. One, brilliantly, was borrowed from

the hallway at the house of Moffat’s predecessor, Russell T Davies. The Dalek prime minister turned out to be a big brain with wet blinking eyes and a creepy voice. Perhaps a coded warning about what would happen if we earthlings elected Ed Miliband.

The Doctor, Amy and Rory were sent on a seemingly impossible mission to the Asylum of the Daleks – a planetary prison for the maddest, most aggressive members of a race hardly known for being mellow. The subsequent adventure featured fashion photo shoots, zombie skeletons, hallucinations, Amy and Rory divorcing, the Doctor getting them back together, several slaps round the face and trademark Moffat magic dust sprinkled over the script.

There were clever riffs on Dalek catchphrase “Exterminate!” and the title of the show itself. Rory (the underrated Arthur Darvill) got some wry lines, as did Amy (Karen Gillan). When Oswin accused her of being unnaturally angry, the redhead retorted: “Somebody’s never been to Scotland.” Full of twists, turns and tear-jerking moments, this was Doctor Who back with a bang and back to its best. Whopremo Moffat, leading man Smith and rising star Coleman can be extremely satisfied – as can everyone who didn’t spoil the surprise. Celebratory soufflés all round.